Zanzibar ferry death toll rises to 104

Rescue workers carry the bodies of some of the children who died after a ferry sank off the coast of the Tanzanian island of Zanzibar in East Africa on July 18, 2012.

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At least 104 people have been confirmed dead and dozens are still missing from last week's Tanzanian ferry disaster, raising fears that some 144 passengers may have died.
"The death toll so far is 104... out of 290 who were on board," AFP quoted Zanzibari State Minister Mohammed Aboud Mohammed as saying on Wednesday.
Two Dutch tourists are also among the dead.
The MV Skagit/Kalama sank off the coast of the Tanzanian island of Zanzibar in East Africa on July 18. It was en route from the city of Dar es Salaam in mainland Tanzania to Zanzibar when it capsized near Chumbe Island west of Zanzibar.
Zanzibari authorities say at least 146 of the passengers have been rescued so far. However, police said that there was no hope that the missing passengers could be found alive as rescue operations were halted on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the High Court of Zanzibar charged three people, including the ship's owner and captain, with manslaughter in connection with last week’s incident.
Owner Saidi Abdulrahman Juma, 46, captain Mussa Makame Mussa, 49, and company manager Omar Hassan Mkoje, 50, were indicted on Wednesday. They were released on bail and are expected to attend a hearing due on Augusts 7.
On Monday, Zanzibar’s minister for marine transportation, Hamad Masoud Hamad, resigned from his post over the ferry tragedy.
In the deadliest maritime incident in the history of the island, more than 200 people lost their lives when an overcrowded ferry capsized with 800 people on board off Zanzibar in September 2011.
Zanzibar is a semi-autonomous archipelago and a popular tourist destination.
MHB/AS